Yemen President Arrives Today to Aden

ADEN, Yemen: Yemeni President Abed-Rabbou Mansour Hadi flew into Aden from his base in neighboring Saudi Arabia Saturday on a surprise visit to the headquarters of his beleaguered government, an aide said.

Hadi is expected to stay for a few days in the southern port city, which is still prey to frequent unrest 18 months after his loyalists drove out Iran-backed rebels with the support of a Saudi-led coalition.

It is the president’s first visit to Aden in a year and comes two months after Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher and seven ministers set up base in the city.

The government had previously operated from exile since October 2015.

The capital Sanaa, like most of the north of the country, remains in the hands of the rebel and their allies.

Hadi’s authority is largely confined to the south and areas along the Saudi border.

Even within the south, his loyalists have faced repeated attack by extremists from both Al-Qaeda and its rival ISIS. Security chiefs in Aden have been a particular target.